Three Connecticut nursing homes have been cited and fined by the state Department of Public Health for violations, including two instances in which residents were physically injured.
Wilton Meadows Health Care Center was fined $1,160 for an incident that took place in May 2014. A resident, whose diagnoses included quadriplegia and Alzheimer’s dementia, suffered a broken arm after a nursing assistant at the Wilton facility moved the resident to a bed using a lift without any assistance, according to DPH.
The nursing assistant claimed all the other nursing assistants were busy at the time and unable to help move the resident. When using the lift the nursing assistant was supposed to have help from another staff member, according to the citation.
Officials at the facility did not return a call seeking comment.
Glastonbury Health Care Center Inc. was fined $1,020 after a resident broke a hip after falling from a wheelchair. According to DPH, in March 2014 the resident, who suffered from a seizure disorder and an anxiety disorder, and was known to be at risk of falling, was being pushed in a wheelchair from a room into a hallway when the fall occurred.
A nursing assistant said the wheelchair’s leg rests had been removed; the resident’s right hip broke as a result of the fall, according to the citation.
“Glastonbury Health Care Center takes very seriously our obligation to provide quality services to our residents,” said facility Administrator Beth Schmeizl. “As a result of this incident, we have performed an internal review of our processes and will continue to look for ways to improve the care we provide our residents.”
Crossings West Health & Rehabilitation Center in New London was fined $1,020 following a May 2014 incident in which a wheelchair-bound resident claimed another resident touched him or her inappropriately.
The resident who made the complaint could not walk and was dependent on the center’s staff for “activities of daily living,” according to the citation. The resident who lodged the complaint was fearful the incident would happen again, according to DPH.
Nursing assistants said they saw the second resident leaving the first resident’s room, and when they went to check the first resident was upset. The first resident was transferred to another facility later that month, according to the citation.
The center is located at 89 Viets St. and was operated by CH-Crossings West LLC. The center’s ownership has changed since the incident, according to spokeswoman Stacey Brady.
Under prior ownership, the facility “self-reported an isolated incident involving two residents,” she said.
“We received a citation in December of 2014 and quickly submitted a correction plan, which was accepted and approved by the Department of Public Health, and there are currently no outstanding citations,” Brady said. “We are committed to providing our residents with quality care. The health, safety and well-being of our residents is always the primary focus.”
